AN influential group of female travel and lifestyle writers, photographers, social influencers and camerawomen, plus a male mechanic called Dave, will drive 1700km from Brisbane to Birdsville to cover the iconic horse race next week.

The six-day adventure, involving high-calibre broadcast, print and online media, will start in the Queensland capital before heading west to St George, on to Cunnamulla and Thargomindah, before arriving in Birdsville for the annual horse race, which sees the tiny Outback township’s population swell from 115 to around 8000.

The women will capture all the colours and characters of quintessential Outback Queensland along the way, including Anne Young, the station owner of Begonia, a 5665ha beef cattle station in St George, about 550km from Brisbane. On Day One of this adventure they’ll pass through Toowoomba, Millmerran, and Goondiwindi.

On Day Two, the charismatic convoy will drive through the tiny town of Bollon before heading to Cunnamulla to meet the Cunnamulla Fella – the famous statue said to represent the Australian larrikin which resides in us all.

Day Three of the journey will see the media mavens follow in the footsteps of Burke and Wills as they visit the Burke and Wills Dig Tree after passing through Eulo, Thargomindah and into Innamincka, just over the Queensland border.

It’s Birdsville or bust on Day Four with the team expected to arrive in the afternoon, in time for sunset atop Big Red, the 40-metre high sand dune on the edge of the Simpson Desert. Saturday, September 5 is Day Five and the Birdsville Races from which the group will be broadcasting live via a satellite dish.

Tourism and Events Queensland, Chief Executive, Leanne Coddington said the trip represented a great opportunity to showcase Outback Queensland to potential Australian travellers.

“The group will spend the next week living Australia’s story, exploring the rich heritage, vast landscapes and meeting the characters that define Outback Queensland,” Ms Coddington said.

“The Birdsville Races, Outback Queensland’s largest race meet, is a highlight on the It’s Live! In Queensland events calendar and will no doubt generate terrific coverage.”

The visit aims to inspire more Australians to travel and spend time and money in the region.

Some of the media will fly home on Day Six, following the races, while the remainder will drive back to Brisbane via Windorah, Quilpie and Mitchell, with Dave the mechanic on hand for the entire epic adventure.

Outback Queensland welcomed 455,000 overnight visitors to the region in the year to March 2015 and activities such as this will continue to build on these numbers.